Our Friend, Scott Enter
Like many of you, I consider Scott Enter a longtime friend. As you recently read in A Peek Inside Blog, Scott has decided to retire. Scott will be easing into retirement, staying involved by introducing a handful of pieces for us as a contractor. This is not a new concept, both Neilan and Barbara Lund had this type of arrangement with Department 56® for many years as have several other Village designers.
Scott has had a long and impactful career at Department 56 , so let’s look back at his more than 30 years with us.
Scott Enter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and developed an interest in both drawing and photography early on. In 1990, he graduated from St. Paul School of Associated Arts where he earned a degree in illustration and design.
Shortly after graduation he began working for Department 56. While originally hired to do photography of finished products, Scott began designing Village accessories, building paper models, and painting samples of Village pieces. It was quickly apparent that Scott had more to offer than just photography skills, and he earned his position as part of the Village design team!
Later in 1990, he designed his first building, the “Village Greenhouse” (56.54020, 1991-1995). Originally slated to be an unlit accessory, Scott tinkered with the design and figured out how to turn it into a lighted piece, creating a beloved design our collectors have loved for many years.
As most of you know, The Original Snow Village was inspired by the warm, nostalgic image of a snow covered old-fashioned American town. Scott’s extensive research and curious nature contributed to the charm and detail of each lighted ceramic building. He constantly challenged the production team to add more lights, sounds and animation to his designs, and the designs that other Village designers created.
One of the things that Scott enjoyed the most about designing Snow Village pieces is that it allowed him to draw upon his own childhood memories and family traditions. Collectors of The Original Snow Village appreciate this fact as they build their own memories.
In the late 1990s, Scott had an idea that he would not let go of. For years, his neighbors enjoyed the extreme decorating that Scott and his family shared in their yard for both Christmas and Halloween. Each year, the outdoor displays changed and grew. Halloween was becoming very popular as a holiday for both children as well as adults and Scott was convinced that Department 56 should add some Village pieces that celebrated Halloween. One day at work he found a sample of a Victorian style house in the Creative Department and decided to put his idea to work. He took it home, distressed it, and repainted it with Halloween colors and details. Inspired by a nursery nightlight in his daughter’s bedroom, Scott created a black and white silhouette screen that would rotate inside the house, showing ghosts and goblins dancing around through the windows. A soft orange light added to the spookiness of this piece – and viola! The 1998 “Haunted Mansion” was born!
In an interview with Scott in 2010, Scott shared “Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I’ve always enjoyed decorating and dressing in costume. It allows the creative side of my personality to come through. The Snow Village Halloween pieces are some of my favorite creations because there are no limitations to what we can do with these designs. Because I also collect this Village, I look at the Village as a whole to see what is missing and what we need to add to tell the story.”
Besides the very popular Halloween Village, Scott was also one of the creative forces behind The Original Snow Village Christmas Lane series of overly decorated houses. Each year was a joy and a challenge to create another over the top design that would look perfect along the festive street.
I share all of this to help illustrate the impact that Scott Enter has made to Villages at Department 56. While Scott will not be involved with the day-to-day planning of the Villages, his legacy will live on. In retirement, he plans to spend more time with his family and pursue many of the activities that he hasn’t had enough time for in the last few years. We wish Scott the very best and thank him for the decades of service, laughter, and friendship!
Melinda Seegers